So it’s been four months, however many days and nights. I’m not a numbers woman. And I’ve lost track of time. Sleep in my life has moved through stages. When I was little, it was an obligation. I didn’t want to leave the TV before the 9 o’clock water shed. When I was growing up it was a necessity to fight off the fatigue produced by an extensive exercise routine. And now it’s a luxury. It’s something I just don’t have time for anymore.

Whatever month, day, hour it is, it’s nearly home time. Back to the land of castles. A place where the royal wedding was, according to people here, still big news. It was just an excuse for me to have a few drinks. To be honest I’d all but forgotten it had even happened. A country with a bit of history and eccentricity. A quaint place of green fields and Edwardian tea parties apparently. A place still littered with the remnants of Lewis Carroll’s hallucinations. Look hard enough and I’m sure you can find a rabbit hole.

At least this is the Great Britain people seem to imagine I will return to. In truth I’ll be gracing the gritty Northern city of Glasgow, still intact with its working class attitude and rugged city landscape. It’s beautiful, but it ain’t what Wordsworth was talking about. It’s true that the grass is always greener. Clichéd I know, but it’s something I have always returned to when traveling.

This past semester hasn’t just been a college experience, I’ve felt constantly on the move. The state tally has made it to six. Not too bad to say I nearly drowned in novels and poems, only just about surfacing for air on weekends and holidays. But now I have tired feet and am ready for a few weeks of civilisation as I know it.

That means moving out of the toy town that is The University of Alabama. Moving back to shops and cafés, home-cooked food and night clubs. The educational system here suits me. Constant assessment seems the best way to get students to actually get their teeth into the reading. Back home we had one exam at the end of each term, and I can’t deny that independent study like that lead to a pretty laid-back attitude.

But living on a campus is different to the city environments I have always lived in. And the grand old symbol of America, the car, is taking its toll on the old waistline. I won’t be sorry to have a few Christmas strolls. All in all, I feel like I’ve been through a car wash this semester. I came away needing to scrub myself up a bit. I paid my fee and closed by eyes. At first the hard bristles scrubbed me down, a little bit of a culture shock and home sickness. Then soap was applied, I began to feel a few of the benefits. Now I’ve been sprayed with clean water, settled down and reaped the experience my new environment has to offer. I’ve come out the other side gleaming a bit more than when I went in. Learned a few things about it all. I’m ready to head home for a bit.

I’ll be back in the spring, laden with tea bags and some warmer clothes. Ready to face the South again. Happy holidays, y’all!

Lucy Cheseldine is an English international student studying English literature. Her column runs on Tuesdays.